


Look for me (I’ll be around)

by LadyRavenscroft



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:08:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRavenscroft/pseuds/LadyRavenscroft
Summary: JJ makes a few mistakes and calls Emily to help her out.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

JJ sighed heavily pulling into her driveway. The house was dark and still, void of any life. But rushing forward to bring back the memories of her crumbled relationship and messy divorce. The lack of time with her children and increase in time spent at work. Shutting off the car she grabbed her bags and headed inside. Locking the door behind her before turning on the lights and dropping her bags. She didn’t bother to pick up the mess of shoes she had abandoned by the door in recent weeks. Letting the entryway keep piling up with the discarded contents of her closet. 

She detoured through the kitchen grabbing a bottle of whiskey stopping short she turned back to grab a bottle of water before heading down the stairs toward the basement. She waited for her phone to connect to the Bluetooth her playlist picking up where it had left off she dropped herself onto the worn couch. 

She let her hand ghost along the worn material. It somehow still held onto the smell of Emily’s apartment. JJ couldn’t for all the logic in the world explain how it still smelled as strong the day the agents had lugged it into their rec room. Closing her eyes as the bottle met her lips she called up the memory. 

/Will stood at the bottom of the stairs his hands planted on his hips as he watched the plain clothed agents lug in the couch, tables, and several boxes “Jennifer, honey, I know she was your friend but..what in tarnation are we going to do with all of this?” He gestured grandly to the growing piles. “Will. Just. I’ll deal with it. Go. Go check on Henry” She dismissed him again mentally checking herself and making a note to apologize when she went upstairs to refill her wine./ 

Now the boxes had been sorted. Emily’s left belongings tucked in amongst her own. Bits and pieces of a life that was erased with a few clicks of a mouse and a red stamp. She tapped her fingers on the side of the bottle willing away the memories of Garcia’s sobbing and Spencer’s hatred for her. Not that she blamed him in the least. In his mind she had held the key to easing his suffering and withheld it from him. Allowing him to spiral out of control and into a web of misery at the loss of what she could only equate to his person. But she had been her person too. From what JJ could tell Emily had been everyone’s person. The team had wandered around in a daze for weeks unsure how to proceed in the uncharted waters of the after. Still holding to bits of the before and clutching pieces of what she had left behind. She lifted the bottle again before wedging it between her knees and unbuttoning her shirt. She struggled slightly pulling both arms out and tossing it to the opposite end of the couch. 

She turned up the volume on the music and took a long drag from the bottle before standing up and wandering around the room. She stepped on a toy car cursing under her breath before bending down to toss it back into the basket where the rest of a tiny make believe city lived. She stopped in front of the punching bag swinging in with a hard left her bare knuckles raking across the rough canvas. She stepped forward planting her right foot and leading off with her right hand on the re-bound. The chains rattled against the ceiling almost keeping time with the rage against the machine that reverberated off the Sheetrock at a disturbing volume. After a few swift swings she brought her left leg around knocking the bag back against the wall. 

She stepped back picking up the bottle and taking a long drink before charging again her hands smearing blood along the canvas of the bag as her fists made contact. She heard the sickening crack seconds before the pain radiated up her arm and into her shoulder “Shit” she muttered softly easing herself down to the ground and cradling her hand against her middle she muttered a few more explicit words before making herself look at her hand. The bloody bruised mess made her hiss. She poked it gently trying to discern where it was broken. She instinctively reached for the bottle before thinking better and grabbing the water instead. She pulled out her phone and brought up the speed dial. 

Morgan’s name flashed on the screen as she listened to the long rings. “You’ve reached Derek Morgan. Please leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can” JJ hit the red circle “Shit” she looked over the other names trying to decide who would be the least likely to give her grief about her current state. Finally landing on Emily. She hesitated a few times before finally sending the call out. She jumped slightly when Emily spoke even though she’d listened to the phone ring the sound of her warm voice on the other end still managed to catch her off guard “Prentiss” Emily spoke and silently waited for a response “JJ? Are you okay?” Emily tried to disguise the worry in her voice listing to the heavy breathing on the other end of the line. “Yeah, Yeah, it’s not..I mean it’s not good but it isn’t an emergency” as if on cue her hand started throbbing “I think I broke my..knuckle? Hand? Fingers? I really don’t know but it hurts and I think I need to go to the hospital and I can’t really drive myself” she trailed off leaving the rest to interpretation “Got ya. Okay. I’m on my way.” Emily slipped her feet back into her boots that were still warm and grabbed her keys heading back out into the cool night air. 

JJ sat silent long after Emily had hung up the phone. Only marginally aware that she should probably put her shirt back on or at least cap the bottle of whiskey. She looked up slightly embarrassed when she saw Emily on the stairs “Is that my couch?” She titled her head slightly “Oh, yeah, I Uh, when you died and I had to clean out your apartment I couldn’t..I couldn’t throw it all out. I didn’t know what..Or when I would see you again and I just..I kept it” Emily nodded softly “What else did you keep?” JJ ran her undamaged hand along her hair slightly patting her messy bun “Um you know just..all of it” The look of shock on Emily’s face was unmistakable. A million thoughts ran through her mind and all of them came back to JJ. 

She shifted her weight between her feet and glanced around her eyes finally landing on JJ’s damaged hand. “Let me see?” She lowered herself to the carpet in front of the smaller profiler “Come on Jayje. Let me see it” JJ sighed apprehensively  
And extended the injured hand carefully resting it in Emily’s open palm. She tried not to wince when she saw the damage JJ had done to herself. “So this definitely looks like a trip to the er” Emily pushed herself up and smoothed her clothes. 

She hooked her arms under JJ’s shoulders and pulled her up from her spot on the carpet. Grabbing her button down from the couch and draping it over her shoulders she ushered the blonde up the stairs and toward the door grabbing her go bag as she passed it. “What’s that for?” JJ stood on the step as Emily locked the door “You never know” She beeped the car lock and opened the passengers side door watching JJ slide in before closing the door behind her. 

The drive to the Er had been largely silent and the wait at the desk of the Er had been expedited when Emily casually flashed her credentials. Sitting in the tiny room with a bag of wilting ice on her hand JJ picked at the hem of her pants and cursed herself as the alcohol began to wear off and the headache started. “So do you always hit the bag without gloves?” Emily kept her face straight and her tone even. “Don’t profile me. I normally tape my hands I was just..drunk” Emily accepted the answer nodding slightly as she leaned back in her chair. 

“What’s daddy Morgan going to say when he sees his protégés hand?” JJ couldn’t help but laugh “I imagine it’ll be something like” JJ lowered her voice “Damn baby girl what have I told you about bustin’ yourself up. Only time you ought to be bleeding is if you’re not winning” JJ laughed “I’m clearly not winning tonight”


	2. First Try

Once her hand was wrapped and immobile, with discharge papers and care instructions in hand they headed toward Emily’s car. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing we have the weekend to get that on the mend. We’ll rent a movie. I’d offer wine but I think I’d go for the pain killers if I were you” She smiled softly at the confused look that JJ shot back. “Well, you’re going to have a tough time on your own with one hand. The boys are with Will. You might as well stay with me” JJ smiled gratefully “I mean if you insist” she struggled with the seat belt until she heard the satisfying click. “I insist. We haven’t had a girls night since I got back so we’ll take a girls weekend to make up for lost time” Emily pulled onto the street and headed toward her condo. “Garcia hates us” JJ stared out the window at the passing lights “I’m not sure she hates us. I just think she’s hurt and it’s understandable” JJ shifted toward the door leaning her head against the window. “We’ll invite her over tomorrow night if you’re feeling up to it” Emily offered as she turned into the garage. “My guest room is still a little bare but the bed is set up and I just had some groceries delivered. So it isn’t the Ritz but it’s better than a motel 6″ She laughed and JJ couldn’t help but smile. 

“I really appreciate you showing up and cleaning up my mess” JJ held her hand up slightly keeping her eyes on the grain of the wood floor. “Hey, you’ve cleaned up after me a time or two” She kicked her boots off and headed toward the kitchen “I’m going to assume you haven’t had dinner?” JJ shook her head “Okay, I have left over Chinese, Cereal, and salad” Emily rummaged around in the refrigerator. JJ slid onto a stool by the counter “ Anything is fine” Emily peaked around the door “Chinese it is” she reappeared with a small stack of take out boxes and headed toward the microwave “So what about work has you drinking whiskey straight from the bottle and dislocating two knuckles?” Emily didn’t make eye contact. with her as she reheated the paper boxes. “I’m just..tired” JJ offered hoping the explanation was enough. “It is tiring” She sat the boxes down on the counter and pulled two plates from the cabinet “It isn’t exactly an easy job” She sat down opposite of JJ and passed her a box. Their last case had taken over a week to solve. They worked in circles while bodies piled up in the morgue. Emily could absolutely understand how JJ could be tired but she had a sneaking suspicion that this had a lot less to do with work and a lot more to do with her own demons. “You know I missed American Chinese when I was in London. I’ve had it almost every night since I got back” JJ smiled “You’ve been eating Chinese for dinner for a month?” Emily laughed tossing her head back “No! That would be crazy! We were out of town working cases two weeks of that month ma’am!” “Two weeks is still a lot of Chinese food!” JJ rinsed her plate and slid it into the dishwasher “Thanks for dinner, Em” She seemed to be in a much better mood between the food and painkillers JJ almost felt human again. “I’m going to change and we’ll see what’s new on Netflix?” JJ nodded “Sounds great!” She slipped into the guest room to find her go bag on the end of the bed. She smiled softly to herself. Emily always had a way of making her feel cared for that no one else seemed to be able to achieve. She slid out of her slacks and into her favorite sweat pants. She discarded her button down in favor of the tank top underneath and made a small pile of clothes on the chair by the bed. 

She found Emily settled on the couch with two bottles of water and a bowl of pop corn. Her pale skin glowing in the light of the television as she scrolled the new releases. JJ slid onto the couch tucking her knees against her chest. “I am NOT watching reality tv. I get more than enough reality as it is” She kept scrolling “Any suggestions?” JJ thought for a bit “Honestly I have no clue. I don’t remember the last time I watched something that wasn’t animated” She fiddled with the edge of the bandage as Emily settled on a generic comedy and tossed the remote to the coffee table before leaning back into the couch. “This one isn’t as good as the old one” JJ shook her head “It just needs to be broken in.” Emily nodded “As often as I’m home it’ll be good to go in five to seven years” She laughed again and was pleasantly surprised when JJ laughed with her and even more pleased when her smile reached her eyes. “I missed this the most when I was in London” JJ snapped to attention “You once asked me what I missed the most in the scrabble chat and I didn’t answer because I wasn’t sure how to explain” JJ glanced down at her hands “I missed this too.” She focused on the screen and settled further into the couch. 

Once the popcorn was gone and the bowl had been shifted to the coffee table Emily stretched her legs across the empty cushion. JJ slowly migrated toward the middle of the couch eventually ending up in Emily’s arms her head resting on Emily’s chest and their legs tangled together. A position they usually didn’t find themselves in until they had finished at least two bottles of wine. 

They settled together Emily’s hand absently trailing along JJ’s back until the credits rolled. At which point neither made an effort to move. “It’s late” Emily whispered softly prompting JJ to tighten her grip on the brunette. “We can stay here” JJ nodded snuggling closer. “Jayje,listen I know work is tough but I don’t think this is work related and I wish you’d just talk to me. Talk to García, Reed, hell talk to Morgan. But you can’t do this to yourself” JJ tensed “How am I supposed to talk to you about you” She mumbled against Emily’s shoulder. Emily sighed softly “The same way I talk to you about yourself I suppose” She wrapped her arms around the blonde. The tv playing absently in the background as JJ’s breathing evened out Emily placed a soft kiss against her hair before pulling the throw from the back of the couch covering them both and closing her eyes. 

JJ woke first. Squinting against the light that had flooded the room shifting slightly against the woman that was still wrapped around her. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks and her hand throbbed. She shifted again earring a small groan from the brunette turned mattress. “Sorry” she mumbled pushing herself up with her good hand “I didn’t mean to fall asleep” Emily stretched the blood rushing back into her tingling arm. “I’m glad you got some sleep” JJ smiled timidly “It was actually really good” She stretched her arms above her head standing from the couch. “Coffee?” Emily offered heading toward the bathroom. “This is why I love you” JJ made her way into the kitchen. Emily stopped in her tracks and turned slightly back toward the kitchen “That’s the only reason you love me? If I had known all it took was coffee I’d have offered years ago” She laughed lightly. 

JJ turned on the coffee maker and slid onto a stool resting her hand along the cool granite. “How’s that feeling this morning?” Emily gestured toward her bandaged hand. “Would you believe me if I said I don’t feel it at all?” Emily laughed “If I weren’t a profiler you’re so smooth I’d almost believe you” JJ laughed and reached for the offered mug. “You’re a saint” Emily shrugged sipping her own coffee “I do what I can”


End file.
